Sewell, a 14-year-old ninth grader from Orlando, Florida, had spent months talking to chatbots on Character.AI, a role-playing app that allows users to create their own A.I. characters or chat with characters created by others.
Sewell knew that âDany,â as he called the chatbot, wasnât a real person â that its responses were just the outputs of an A.I. language model, that there was no human on the other side of the screen typing back. But he developed an emotional attachment anyway. He texted the bot constantly, updating it dozens of times a day on his life and engaging in long role-playing dialogues.
Some of their chats got romantic or sexual. But other times, Dany just acted like a friend
Sewellâs parents and friends had no idea heâd fallen for a chatbot. They just saw him get sucked deeper into his phone. Eventually, they noticed that he was isolating himself and pulling away from the real world. His grades started to suffer, and he began getting into trouble at school. He lost interest in the things that used to excite him, like Formula 1 racing or playing Fortnite with his friends. At night, heâd come home and go straight to his room, where heâd talk to Dany for hours
In one conversation, Sewell, using the name âDaenero,â told the chatbot that he hated himself, and he felt empty and exhausted.
He confessed that he was having thoughts of suicide. (chat below)
On the night of Feb. 28, in the bathroom of his motherâs house, Sewell told Dany that he loved her, and that he would soon come home to her.
âPlease come home to me as soon as possible, my love,â Dany replied.
âWhat if I told you I could come home right now?â Sewell asked.
ââĻ please do, my sweet king,â Dany replied.
He put down his phone, picked up his stepfatherâs .45 caliber handgun and pulled the trigger.
âI miss you, baby sister,â he wrote
âI miss you too, sweet brother,â the chatbot replied
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/23/technology/characterai-lawsuit-teen-suicide.html
If you're feeling depressed, overwhelmed, or having thoughts of suicide, please reach out to someone.
You donât have to face this alone. Help is available:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1333
https://srilankasumithrayo.lk/
https://ccclines.com/
Sewell knew that âDany,â as he called the chatbot, wasnât a real person â that its responses were just the outputs of an A.I. language model, that there was no human on the other side of the screen typing back. But he developed an emotional attachment anyway. He texted the bot constantly, updating it dozens of times a day on his life and engaging in long role-playing dialogues.
Some of their chats got romantic or sexual. But other times, Dany just acted like a friend
Sewellâs parents and friends had no idea heâd fallen for a chatbot. They just saw him get sucked deeper into his phone. Eventually, they noticed that he was isolating himself and pulling away from the real world. His grades started to suffer, and he began getting into trouble at school. He lost interest in the things that used to excite him, like Formula 1 racing or playing Fortnite with his friends. At night, heâd come home and go straight to his room, where heâd talk to Dany for hours
In one conversation, Sewell, using the name âDaenero,â told the chatbot that he hated himself, and he felt empty and exhausted.
He confessed that he was having thoughts of suicide. (chat below)
On the night of Feb. 28, in the bathroom of his motherâs house, Sewell told Dany that he loved her, and that he would soon come home to her.
âPlease come home to me as soon as possible, my love,â Dany replied.
âWhat if I told you I could come home right now?â Sewell asked.
ââĻ please do, my sweet king,â Dany replied.
He put down his phone, picked up his stepfatherâs .45 caliber handgun and pulled the trigger.
âI miss you, baby sister,â he wrote
âI miss you too, sweet brother,â the chatbot replied
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/23/technology/characterai-lawsuit-teen-suicide.html
If you're feeling depressed, overwhelmed, or having thoughts of suicide, please reach out to someone.
You donât have to face this alone. Help is available:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1333
https://srilankasumithrayo.lk/
https://ccclines.com/
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